Scaffold safety apparatus

ABSTRACT

A safety apparatus designed to hold the planks in place on a scaffold frame. A take-up reel is clamped to a frame post and a cable is paid out a sufficient amount to permit its outer end to be laid across the series of planks, looped around a frame post on the other side of the planks, and hooked onto the outer end of the cable. The cable is then reeled in causing the loop to tighten. A locking mechanism prevents the reel from unwinding once the planks are secured to the scaffold frame.

United States Patent [1 1 Fromlath et a1.

[ SCAFFOLD SAFETY APPARATUS [76] Inventors: Joseph J. Fromlath, 430 E. Sixth St.,

Escondido; Forest E. Taylor, 3630-25 Vista Campana South, Oceanside, both of Calif.

[22] Filed: Nov. 30, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 203,202

[52] US. Cl 182/129, 182/119, 182/222, 254/164, 280/179 [51] Int. Cl. E04g 7/04, E04g 7/28, E04g 7/08 [58] Field of Search 182/113, 222, 223, 182/179, 129; 254/51, 150, 164, 112; 248/361 A [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,021,113 2/1962 Kinnison 254/165 845,102 2/1907 Lewis 254/164 [11] 3,747,707 1 July 24, 1973 968,455 8/1910 Eastabrook 280/179 A FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 869,480 11/1941 France 280/179A Primary ExaminerReinaldo P. Machado Att0rneyBruno J. Verbeck [57] ABSTRACT A safety apparatus designed to hold the planks in place on a scaffold frame. A take-up reel is clamped to a frame post and a cable is paid out a sufficient amount to permit its outer end to be laid across the series of planks, looped around aframe post on the other side of the planks, and hooked onto the outer end of the cable. The cable is then reeled in causing the loop to tighten. A locking mechanism prevents the reel from unwinding once the planks are secured to the scaffold frame.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENIEnJumMaza (f i 3%}59/2 Z 011; 10 va 232 222 /a 5A fl y/01' SCAFFOLD SAFETY APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a safety apparatus for use on scaffold frames, and in particular to a safety apparatus for temporarily holding the planks in place on a scaffold.

One of the greatest safety hazards in the design of conventional scaffolds results from the practice of forming an elevated platform by laying a series of planks in a side-by-side arrangement across spaced horizontal posts. The inherent danger in this practice is that one or more of the planks can be easily displaced and cause a worker to be thrown off the elevated platform.

The object of this invention is to provide a safety apparatus that can be readily mounted on the scaffold framework for temporarily securing the planks to the framework.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A safety apparatus constructed to be quickly clamped on the framework of a scaffold having a housing in which a reel is contained. A clamping device is secured to the housing and adapted to be mounted on a post in a location adjacent to a series of planks laid side-by-side. A cable is unreeled from the reel, laid across the planks and looped once around a frame post on the opposite side of the planks, and a fastener on its outer end is hooked over the inner portion of the cable. A crank then pulls in the cable to cause the loop to tighten. A ratchet device holds the reel in a stop position to keep the. planks in a rigid position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING For a better understanding of this invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a safety apparatus embodying the principles of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of FIG. 1 taken from its left side;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the safety device of FIG. I mounted on a scaffold frame and having its cable securing a series of planks to the scaffold frame; and

- FIG. 4 is a partial view of the safety device showing the outer end of the cable looped about a frame post.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing there is shown a safety apparatus embodying the principles of this invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10. This invention is designed to be readily mounted on a scaffold framework 12 which is partially shown in FIG. 3. This framework constitutes a plurality of spaced vertical and horizontal posts 14 and 16 interconnected in a lattice arrangement. To provide a working platform at a desired elevated level, a series of planks 18 are laid across the upper horizontal posts 16.

Safety apparatus comprises a housing 20 of a cylindrical shape with an axial opening 22, 24 in its end walls 26, 28, respectively. A reel 30 is contained withinv the housing with its shaft 32 rotatably supported by the axial openings. A high tensile strength cable 34 is carried by reel 30 and its free end is paid out through a longitudinal slot 36 formed the entire length of cylindrical housing 20.

-A clamping device 40 is secured to housing 20 for quickly mounting and dismounting the safety apparatus 10 and comprises a pair of mating; C-shaped members 42 each having outwardly extending flanges 44, 46. One of the C-shaped members 42 is secured to housing 20 adjacent slot 36. The clamp 40 is mounted on one of the scaffold posts by means of a pair of locking bolts 48 inserted through the aligned mounting apertures in the abutting flanges of the mating C-shaped members 42.

The length of the cable 34 may be of sufficient length to facilitate a loop around the combined width of planks 48. An S-shaped hook fastener 50 is connected to the outer free end of cable 34 for sliding connection with some intermediate portion of cable 34. Hook 50 has one curved portion 52 threaded through an eyelet 54 formed on the cable end by crimping a metal sleeve 56 against the cable. Curved portion 52 is bent closed to hold it permanently on the cable end. The other curved portion 58 has an opening slightly larger than the thickness of cable 34 to allow it to be slipped over the cable as depicted in FIG. 4.

To urge the planks together as the loop is tightened a pair of guide members 60 are slidingly carried on cable 34. Guide members 60 comprise a right angle brace 62 having two plates 64, 66 disposed in perpendicular relationship. A flange portion 68 is formed at their intersection and a mounting aperture 70 is provided therein for mounting the brace 62 on the cable 34.

To selectively allow the reel 30 to be turned in one direction only and thereby lock the reel 30 in place when the loop is tightened, a ratchet mechanism is secured to end wall 28. A ratchet wheel 82 is fixed to shaft 32, and a pivotally mounted, double-acting pawl 84 cooperates with wheel 82 to provide the ratchet action for permitting shaft 32 to be selectively turned in one direction or the other. To turn the shaft a crank handle (not shown) is snapped onto adapter shank 88, which is also fixed to shaft 32.

To use the safety device 10, the clamp 40 is preferably fastened to a horizontal bar 16 which supports the .outer lateral sides of the outer two planks 18. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer end of the cable is laid across the upper surface of the planks, looped about the horizontal post 16 on the opposite side of the planks and hooked onto itself.

Ratchet pawl 84 is moved to the other position and shaft 32 is turned (counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 2) to reel 30 in cable 43 and tightens the loop. The operation is complete when the plank 18 nearest clamp 40 abuts against the upper C-shaped member 42. It is recommended that two safety apparatus 10 be used to secure the two ends of the planks.

As best illustrated in FIG. 2 it is preferred to locate the slot 36 just below the clamp 40 so that the pulling force exerted on the outer end of cable 34 will be in a substantially radial outward direction.

It will be apparent that modifications and variations may be made in the herein disclosed embodiment without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention. It is accordingly our intention that the scope of the invention be limited solely by that of the hereinafter appended claims.

We claim:

1. A safety apparatus for temporarily securing planks on a scaffolding frame comprising a housing, a reel rotatably mounted in said housing, clamp means for securing said housing to said scaffold frame, a cable wrapped about said reel, fastening means connected to said cable at its free end and adapted to be slidingly mounted on an intermediate portion of said cable, a pair of right-angled guide members slidingly supported on said cable and adapted to seat against the upper corner of the outside lateral sidesof the two outermost planks on the said scaffolding frame, crank means for turning said reel in either direction, and lock means for selectively preventing said reel from unwinding, whereby the free end of said cable is passed over the top of the planks disposed side-by-side and looped over a scaffold frame member, each of the said guide member is seated against the upper corner of the outside lateral side of an opposite outermost plank on the said scaffolding frame, said fastening means is slidingly mounted on the intermediate portion of the cable, and said crank means is then turned in a direction to tighten the loop.

2. A safety apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said fastening means comprises an S-shaped hook with one curved portion bent to enclose a loop formed in the outer free end of said cable and the other curved portion having an entrance opening slightly larger than the thickness of said cable.

3. A safety apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said lock means comprises a ratchet wheel carried by the shaft of said reel and a double-acting pawl selectively positioned in either of two positions to allow rotation of said ratchet wheel and associated reel in one direction only for each position of said pawl.

4. A safety apparatus for temporarily securing planks on a scaffold frame comprising a cylindrical housing having an axially extending slot and a central opening in its end walls, a reel having its shaft rotatably supported between said central openings, clarnp means for securing said housing to said scaffold frame, a cable wrapped about said reel and paid out through said axially extending slot, fastening means connected to said cable at its free end and adapted to be slidingly mounted on an intermediate portion of said cable, a pair of right-angled guide members having mounted apertures larger than the diameter of said cable and located in a flange portion of the intersection of two perpendicularly disposed plates, the said cable being threaded through said apertures such that said rightangled members can be seated against the upper corner of the outside lateral sides of the two outermost planks on said scaffold frame, crank means for turning said reel in either direction, and lock means for selectively preventing said reel from unwinding, whereby the free end of said cable is passed over the top of the planks disposed side-by-side, and fastening means is slidingly mounted on the intermediate portion of the cable, each of the said right-angled guide members is seated against the upper corner of the outside lateral side of an opposite outermost plank on said scaffolding frame, and said crank means is turned in a direction to tighten the loop pulling the planks towards said housing until the planks abut against a stop.

5. A safety apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said clamp means comprises a pair of mating C-shaped members having outwardly extending flanges at their opposite ends and means for fastening the abutting flanges of the opposing C-shaped member together, and one of said C-shaped members secured to said housing adjacent said axially extending slot.

6. A safety apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said fastening means comprises an S-shaped hook with one curved portion bent to enclose a loop formed in the outer end of said cable and the other curved portion having an entrance opening slightly larger than the thickness of said cable.

7. A safety apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said lock means comprises a ratchet wheel carried by said shaft of said reel and a double-acting pawl selectively positioned in either of two positions to allow rotation of said ratchet wheel and associated reel in one direction only for each position of said pawl. 

1. A safety apparatus for temporarily securing planks on a scaffolding frame comprising a housing, a reel rotatably mounted in said housing, clamp means for securing said housing to said scaffold frame, a cable wrapped about said reel, fastening means connected to said cable at its free end and adapted to be slidingly mounted on an intermediate portion of said cable, a pair of right-angled guide members slidingly supported on said cable and adapted to seat against the upper corner of the outside lateral sides of the two outermost planks on the said scaffolding frame, crank means for turning said reel in either direction, and lock means for selectively preventing said reel from unwinding, whereby the free end of said cable is passed over the top of the planks disposed side-by-side and looped over a scaffold frame member, each of the said guide member is seated against the upper corner of the outside lateral side of an opposite outermost plank on the said scaffolding frame, said fastening means is slidingly mounted on the intermediate portion of the cable, and said crank means is then turned in a direction to tighten the loop.
 2. A safety apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said fastening means comprises an S-shaped hook with one curved portion bent to enclose a loop formed in the outer free end of said cable and the other curved portion having an entrance opening slightly larger than the thickness of said cable.
 3. A safety apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said lock means comprises a ratchet wheel carried by the shaft of said reel and a double-acting pawl selectively positioned in either of two positions to allow rotation of said ratchet wheel and associated reel in one direction only for each position of said pawl.
 4. A safety apparatus for temporarily securing planks on a scaffold frame comprising a cylindrical housing having an axially extending slot and a central opening in its end walls, a reel having its shaft rotatably supported between said central openings, clamp means for securing said housing to said scaffold frame, a cable wrapped about said reel and paid out through said axially extending slot, fastening means connected to said cable at its free end and adapted to be slidingly mounted on an intermediate portion of said cable, a pair of right-angled guide members having mounted apertures larger than the diameter of said cable and located in a flange portion of the intersection of two perpendicularly disposed plates, the said cable being threaded through said apertures such that said right-angled members can be seated against the upper corner of the outside lateral sides of the two outermost planks on said scaffold frame, crank means for turning said reel in either direction, and lock means for selectively preventing said reel from unwinding, whereby the free end of said cable is passed over the top of the planks disposed side-by-side, and fastening means is slidingly mounted on the intermediate portion of the cable, each of the said right-angled guide members is seated against the upper corner of the outside lateral side of an opposite outermost plank on said scaffolding frame, and said crank means is turned in a direction to tighten the loop pulling the planks towards said housing until the planks abut against a stop.
 5. A safety apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said clamp means comprises a pair of mating C-shaped members having outwardly extending flanges at their opposite ends and means for fastening the abutting flanges of the opposing C-shaped member together, and one of said C-shaped members secured to said housing adjacent said axially extending slot.
 6. A safety apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein said fastening means comprises an S-shaped hook with one curved portion bent to enclose a loop formed in the outer end of said cable and the other curved portion having an entrance opening slightly larger than the thickness of said cable.
 7. A safety apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said lock means comprises a ratchet wheel carried by said shaft of said reel and a double-acting pawl selectively positioned in either of two positions to allow rotation of said ratchet wheel and associated reel in one direction only for each position of said pawl. 